Protecting Intellectual Property

The Internet has created a global forum for the exchange of information and ideas. But who owns this material, or "intellectual property?" And how do you protect your rights to the work you create and share with others?

What Is Intellectual Property?

Intellectual property (IP) is about creativity and who owns it. The phrase encompasses copyright, patents, trademarks, trade secrets and other intangible assets. IP is intrinsically related to the innovative expression, protection and redistribution of such items as articles, books, musical scores and industrial property — primarily trademarks and patents.

Who Wants To Know?

The protection of intellectual property is relevant if you have published a professional paper or written an article for a magazine or other publication. Worldwide access to information grows each day as more people link to the World Wide Web. That makes it important to know who controls the rights to reproduce, distribute and expand on your work.

Who Owns It?

Consider the examples of a conference presentation and a technical article published in a magazine. You created the items or material, but who actually "owns" the copyright? Most likely, it’s the conference sponsor or publisher of the magazine, such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). If not, your company probably owns the material since it was created in the course of your employment. If it was commissioned, then a signed agreement would make it the property of the party commissioning the work.

Why Is It Important To You?

The ownership of IP determines the rights to reproduce, display, redistribute and develop derivative works, and who receives any royalties. In the previous example, ASME should be notified any time someone wants to reproduce the conference paper or article. The same would be true for any conference sponsor or magazine publisher.